Rui André, head of the list for the Portimão City Council for the coalition “Um Novo Portimão” (PSD/PPM/MPT), promised to promote “a reduction in the tax burden”, in a “gradual” way on the families and companies of Portimão, in case be elected president of the municipality.
Stressing that «the families of Portimão have a huge tax burden, perhaps the largest in the country», Rui André left the «promise» of a reduction «both in municipal taxes and fees».
He also promised to lower EMARP's water and sanitation tariffs, although, despite being urged by journalists, he did not explain how he would manage to do so without disturbing the financial balance of the municipal company.
Portimão's high tax burden is due to the fact that the municipality has resorted to the Municipal Support Fund (FAM), a loan that forces the municipality to maintain municipal taxes and fees at the highest levels.
Saying that he was aware of this fact, at the presentation of the electoral program, which took place on Friday, the 4th, the candidate of the coalition led by the PSD said that, with a "negotiation effort", it might be possible to pay the fee more quickly. contracted loan and thus relieving Portimonenses of the enormous tax burden and the «fees and taxes».
Rui André added that the appeal to the FAM resulted from the "political mistakes of the past", which indebted the Portimão Council, defending that the citizens of Portimão cannot continue to be "hostages" of this situation.
"If the City Council has, as the current municipal executive proclaims, a better financial situation", which allows it to carry out "single works" and "without a strategy", then "it doesn't make sense to continue penalizing the population with so many taxes and little taxis for everything and anything else».
The still mayor of Monchique (which he cannot re-apply for having reached the limit of three consecutive terms) also guaranteed that he intends to put his 12-year “municipal experience” at the service of the people of Portimo. By the way, he explained, Portimão is a municipality that he knows well, because it is «the city where I also have a house, where I taught for many years».
The “focus” of your policy, if your team is elected to the Portimão Council, is “the family and the people”. For this, it intends to implement a «strategic management that focuses on the policy for families and that enhances economic activity in the municipality».
With the arrival of funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and the new generation of community funds, «this is a time when our territory must be rethought and cities must also rethink, restructure themselves for the new times. The PRR and the funds force us to do something different».
For this very reason, Rui André considers that the municipality of Portimão should «lead a regional strategy of affirmation», becoming, in fact, a kind of capital of the Barlavento Algarvio.
As Américo Mateus, a university professor who integrates the application, explained in detail, Portimão should be a "city of knowledge", "intelligent city", "living laboratory of solutions, products and services of the circular economy that are born in the municipality", "cultural and creative ecosystem , promoting a strong connection between academia, cultural agents, the business and associative fabric».
For this, it is also necessary to revitalize the University of Algarve Pole, in terms of new courses, infrastructure and residences for students, but also «boost the expansion» of the private offer, namely that of ISMAT.
One of the ideas presented by Américo Mateus – and which result from the contributions of around a hundred people to the electoral program – has to do with the creation of an MBA in Portimão, «bringing together public and private higher education, business fabric, governance and still an international benchmark brand'. This would involve the creation of a “new university center for advanced training, with an international focus and an ecosystemic concept”.
«Portimão has great potential, which we believe has not yet been properly exploited and valued», stressed Rui André.
In the presentation of the five axes of the electoral program – O Cidadão e a Família; Educational and Social; Regeneration of the Territory by Nature; Economic Development and Cultural Axis – the candidate of the coalition led by the PSD defended that “the city is not designed for the people, much less for the economic activity”.
“We need a modern vision in terms of mobility. One of the main complaints of people from Portimo is the traffic and mobility and this is not resolved by changing the signs and installing parking meters», he said.
«It is not possible to change the traffic without having a previous study» and global, stressed, for his part, Carlos Gouveia Martins, head of the list of the Municipal Assembly. "There has to be courage" to do more, added the leader of the local PSD Council.
As for the focus on families, candidate Rui André stressed that they "only settle here and have more children if they have the conditions." And what does your coalition stand for in these aspects? For now, «listen to and involve citizens» in the governance of your municipality, namely by promoting the Participatory Budget and the Participatory Youth Budget.
Then, bet on "support and creation of incentives" so that families have more access to housing, health, education and employment. In this issue, the focus is on “attracting young couples to the territory, encouraging their entrepreneurial ideas that create jobs and wealth”.
In this context, they also propose the “acquisition of vacant properties to house young couples and other people”.
Then, if necessary, «to expand the offer of nurseries, crèches and pre-school», but always assessing the needs and making «support agreements with the already existing private network».
And because today's societies also make a living from it, making Portimão an “animal-friendly city”. For this, for example, they defend that proper spaces should be created to walk the faithful friends.
In order for «the city to breathe», the candidacy for the Portimão Council led by the social democrat Rui André defends the creation of urban parks to be effectively used by the population (between the Arena and Companheira's new WWTP, on the land where it was planned the never implemented Sports Complex on Estrada de Alvor and the current Youth Park), as well as green corridors connecting these parks (in the riverside area, downtown Portimão, Avenida Miguel Bombarda and Estrada de Alvor), and bicycle paths between Portimão and Alvor and between this village and Mexilhoeira Grande.
In the environmental area, however, no plan was presented for the eventual creation of local protected areas, under municipal management, in the Ria de Alvor or in Ponta João d'Arens. Rui André admitted that “people associate protected areas with not being able to do anything in those areas”, since “they never see “positive discrimination measures” associated with these possible classifications.
As for sport and health, his candidacy argued that “we should not only talk about sport, but also about physical exercise”, extended to the entire population.
Carlos Gouveia Martins also defended strategies for “active aging”.
After the press conference to present its electoral program, a session with MEP Paulo Rangel, focused on young people. On Saturday, in decentralized initiatives in Portimão (Terraço do Tempo), Alvor (former fish market) and Mexilhoeira Grande (former primary school), the presentation of all candidates of the coalition «Um Novo Portimão» took place.
"If the population of Portimão dares to do differently", voting mainly in the candidacy led by the PSD in the Municipal Elections of the 26th of September, "we have a vision for the territory, an ambitious and structured model", guaranteed Rui André.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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